Jennifer Aniston

The resilient actress on humor, honesty, and her other ambition

Most Popular

Aug 4, 2009

Alexei Hay

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

On being labeled a "lonely girl": "I'm not going to ignore the pink elephant in the living room. It's fine. I can take it. If I'm the emblem for 'this is what it looks like to be the lonely girl getting on with her life,' so be it."

On helping others unlucky in love: "I support women, men, anybody who is in a place that's not their strongest and who is ready to push forward."

On her mother's brutal honesty: "I remember being 7 and asking my mom if I was as pretty as [my best friend] Monique. And with all the love in the world, my mom looked at me and said, 'Oh, honey, you're so funny.' "So, she doesn't lie to me . . . She answers the question by not answering and instead tells me what she thinks is my greatest strength."

On the hardest part of her childhood: "My dad walking out and not seeing him for a year and not knowing where he was . . . Trying to understand, 'Where did that person go?' "

On microsurgery, her dream career if she weren't an actress: "The intense focus and detail . . . completely fascinate me."

CHECK OUT THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF ELLE FOR THE FULL STORY ON JENNIFER ANISTON